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TaylorMade Tour Response Review – Worth The Price?

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini's father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years. Current Handicap: 8

View all posts by Matt Stevens

In my honest review of the TaylorMade Tour Response golf balls, I’ll share why these affordable, urethane golf balls suit mid-handicappers.

In my experience, the Tour Responses borrow multiple features from the famed TP5 and TP5x . However, they’re a better fit for moderate swing speeds.

After reading my feedback, you’ll know if upgrading to the all-around Tour Response is beneficial for your game. The fast-rebounding, high-spinning golf ball is attractive to most golfers, and this post reveals whether they’re worth spending your hard-earned money on.

Why listen to us? Our team has tested dozens and dozens of the top balls on the market (you can read in-depth review of each here ). We keep detailed notes and findings about each one to come up with our recommendations for you.

Overall Rating and Thoughts

After completing my review of the TaylorMade Tour Response, I’m in awe of these golf balls. It’s not often that a moderate swing speed player like myself can enjoy the luxuries of consistently launching a multi-layer urethane golf ball.

I enjoyed its low long-game spin and rapid ball speed, combined with aerodynamic dimples to enhance carry and total distance. It further impressed me around the green when its Soft Tough Urethane cover bit into my grooves and produced sublime spin for greater short-game control.

Despite the positives, I’ll acknowledge that the Tour Response golf balls are pricey relative to other mid-range balls. However, compared to urethane-covered products like the Pro V1 and TaylorMade TP5, it’s affordable and worth the price if you desire long-game distance and short-game spin.

Overall Score: 8.8/10

Three-Piece Ball

TaylorMade compiled 3 layers to craft the Tour Response for optimal long-game distance without impacting greenside spin. I found the Ultra Low Compression core did a wealth of heavy lifting to maximize rebound and ball speed while minimizing driver spin.

The second layer is a High Flex Material Speed Mantle. It enhances energy transfer off the clubface on high-impact strikes, accelerating ball speed and containing spin for a powerful launch. A Soft Tough Urethane cover completes the design, promoting enhanced feel, control, and spin around the green.

Ultra Low Compression Hi-Spring Core

My moderate swing speed enjoyed every strike on the Tour Response, owing to its Hi-Spring Core. It boosted my energy transfer on long shots, causing the ball to rebound rapidly off the clubface with limited spin and optimal velocity for a high-launching shot.

I felt it provided that extra bit of speed needed to increase my yardage from the tee box. This a trait most medium swing speed mid-handicappers will appreciate.

Speedmantle High Flex Material (HFM)

The HFM Speed Mantle is a firm structure inserted between the core and the Soft Tough Urethane cover. I found the Speedmantle delivers superior energy transfer on high-impact strikes thanks to its high-flex material. It aided the core in preserving ball speed and restricting spin revolutions for increased distance.

Soft Tough Urethane

I’m always a sucker for a urethane cover, purely for the spin they afford me with my wedges. The downside is their durability, or lack thereof, after a few trips to the bunker. I noticed the firmer urethane cover held well for longer compared to my experience with cast urethane covers.

Durability aside, the cover bit into my wedge grooves and delivered an outstanding spin rate to give me desirable bite around the greens. Although my mid and long iron spin rate was lower than usual, the softer cover propelled my ball to land rapidly on approach.

Tour Flight Dimple Pattern

TaylorMade applied the dimple design from the TP5 to the Tour Response for exceptional aerodynamics on take-off and landing. The Tour Flight Dimple pattern features flat, shallow dimples, which boost airflow, restrict drag, and enhance lift for greater carry distance.

The ball landed softly on approach, raising its shot-stopping profile thanks to its lift enhancement.

A core feature of the Soft Response balls is the Stripe range, built to elevate your alignment off the tee and on the dancefloor. The standard option in the Soft Response range has a lime stripe running around the ball’s perimeter, and a Blue Pink design is ideal for trendsetters.

Traditionalists aren’t forgotten. TaylorMade finished the Tour Response balls in a traditional white coat and a Hi-Visibility yellow. The latter is the easiest of all finishes to follow in the air and locate in the thick rough.

Performance

The Tour Response range aren’t the cheapest golf balls on the market, which is what would stop me from playing them. For context, they’re listed as $7 lower than the recommended retail price of a dozen TP5 balls.

Although I recognize the Tour Response’s affordability compared to other urethane golf balls, they’re pricey for the average golfer. I paid $14 more for a box of Tour Responses compared to the TaylorMade Soft Response balls .

I relished the feel of the Tour Response on all shots, but their softness particularly shone through with my irons, wedges, and putter. The impact was smooth, and the soft ball improved my feedback to identify precisely where the clubface struck the ball on approach and around the green.

The combination of a moderate compression and a Soft Tough Urethane cover were directly responsible for the welcome feel.

In my experience, the Tour Response produced clicky acoustics off the putter face and on wedge shots. This didn’t impact the overall performance of the ball. However, I prefer playing a ball with solid acoustics. It boils down to my preference, and the Tour Response didn’t match it.

Compression

My moderate swing speed thrived on long shots with the highly compressible core. The medium compression delivered superb spring off my metal woods and long irons, accelerating ball speed and reducing spin. The result was a consistent driver, fairway woods, and long iron distance.

Despite my successes with the Tour Response, I feel slower swing speeds may still struggle to generate maximum contact with the ball. Instead, I’d be more comfortable with you using the softer, easier, and more strikable Soft Response golf balls.

My ability to induce optimal energy transfer on long shots was rewarded with lower spin levels than my standard results. Although marginally less, I produced 2325 rpm of driver backspin, only 175 rpm lower than my average.

The reduced backspin helped me preserve ball acceleration for a powerful launch, consistent flight, and carry distance. Furthermore, I noticed the lower spin encouraged increased roll upon landing, giving me an extra 10 yards off the tee.

The low-spinning nature of the Tour Response golf balls continued to show as I tested my mid and long irons. For context, my 7-iron metrics showed me producing 80 rpm less than my average, which honestly led to minimal difference in my launch, spin, and distance.

Although I produced less backspin than usual, I found my ball biting rapidly on approach, exhibiting its shot-stopping power.

The wedge spin on the TaylorMade Tour Response is its best asset in my eyes. It’s more affordable than a TP5 but returned an outstanding spin rate on full wedge strikes, chips, flops, and bunker shots.

I notched up 10540 rpm backspin on my full wedge shots, 400 more than I produced with the Soft Response range.

The Soft Tough Urethane gripped into my wedge grooves, elevating friction and allowing me to impart enhanced spin revolutions onto the ball. I found it particularly easy to control on chip, pitch, and flop shots as it afforded me the chance to attack the flag and stop the ball dead near my target.

I was seriously impressed with my driver ball speed, producing 141.8 mph, over 4 mph more than I achieved with the TP5. The highly compressible core and Speedmantle layer exploded my ball off the clubface with limited spin to generate a soaring, powerful launch and ample carry distance.

My rapid ball speed continued into the irons. I clocked 117 mph on 7-iron shots, 1 mph faster than my average. The 117 mph speed also proved four mph faster than my returns with the Soft Response. I enjoyed outstanding carry distance on approach owing to the rapid velocity and lower spin.

I welcomed my distance results off the tee. My optimal distance is owed to the enhanced energy transfer at impact from the compressible core and highly flexible Speedmantle. The ball exploded off the clubface, leading to a lofted launch and satisfactory carry distance.

My ball flew for an average of 267 yards before hitting the deck and rolling a further 10 yards to give me a total of 276 yards. This meant I outdrove the TP5 by an average of 2 yards.

The shot-stopping power of the Tour Response saw my ball lose roll on approach. However, it helped me hold tight greens. I propelled my ball 148 yards in the air, and it only rolled out a further 2 yards after hitting the green. My 150-yard total distance was marginally lengthier than my average, showcasing the consistency of my results.

I appreciated its ability to stop rapidly on approach because it boosted my control and left me within earshot of my target.

A lower spin rate and explosive ball speed collaborated to send my metal woods and iron shots high and long. I felt the ball was a breeze to launch with my moderate swing speed, and there was never doubt over me getting my ball airborne.

I noticed the aerodynamic dimples elevated the ball into the heavens and extended its flight thanks to its lift-efficient design. The consequence of higher flight on my iron shots was rapid bite on the green. However, I still enjoyed adequate roll on tee shots with an average of 10 yards.

What I Like About The TaylorMade Tour Response

Compressible.

I enjoyed the elevated compressibility of the Tour Response, prompting ball acceleration, lower spin, and a high launch. The Hi-Spring core was incredibly responsive off the clubface on metal woods, hybrid, and long iron shots.

Although suited to my medium swing speed, slower swing speed golfers will likely produce better results with the lower compression Soft Response.

Low Driver Spin

I appreciated the Tour Response’s ability to contain driver spin to preserve ball speed. The outcome was a towering launch, prompting ample carry and roll upon landing for an impressive total distance average.

The increased spin delivered by the Tour Response boosted my short-game control and allowed me to attack the flag. The Soft Tough Urethane cover gripped into my wedge grooves and sent the ball spinning off the face to land softly on full shots and after a quick hop on chip and pitches.

Driver Ball Speed

Thanks to its high compression core and flexible Speedmantle, the Tour Response provided accelerated ball speed with the big stick. The components maximized my energy transfer at contact, limited spin and preserved pace for a powerful launch and high ball flight.

Aerodynamics

I approved the aerodynamic Tour Flight Dimple pattern, which resisted drag and boosted lift for optimal carry distance. The higher flight further aided my cause on approach, as it boosted the ball’s shot-stopping power to hold tight greens.

Price for a Urethane Ball

Although the Tour Response isn’t the cheapest ball on the market, it’s affordable for a urethane-covered construction. It makes it marginally more affordable for mid-handicappers to acquire and enjoy.

An alternative affordable urethane golf ball to consider is the Cut Blue . As my colleague Brit explains, it doesn’t replace premium urethane golf balls. However, it’s perfect for mid-handicappers seeking tour-like features for the price of a distance ball.

What I Dislike About The TaylorMade Tour Response

Clicky acoustics.

The clicky noise off the putter, irons, and wedge face isn’t my preferred sound. I enjoy a solid sound as the ball leaves the clubface. However, this has no bearing on the performance of the golf ball and it didn’t change my overall opinion.

Distracting Alignment Aid

My second criticism applies only to the Stripe Tour Response balls. When my ball was lying on a slope, the angle of the alignment aid was off-putting. Rick Shiels does an excellent job of highlighting this conundrum in the video below: